Padlock



July 2, 1929. w, w, WERNER 1,719,637

PADLOCK Filed Feb. 29, 1928 ATTORN EY 2w M J6 BY Patented July 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES WILLY W. WERNER, OF DETROIT',' MICHIGAN.

PADLOCK.

Application ,filed February 29, 1928. Seria1 No. 257,854.-

This invention relates to improvements in padlocks and'refers particularly to padlocks having a U-shaped holding member one leg of which is-adapted to be released from the body of the lock when the key is turned-to unlocked position sothat the holding member may be turned 'pivotally about the axis of its second and longer leg.

It is an object of the invention to provide a padlock wherein, as soon as the key is turned to unlocked position, the U-shaped member is automatically moved outwards from the body until itsshorter leg is released so that the longer leg may be turned about its own axis.

Another object of the invention is to provide a padlock from which the key may be removed when the U-shaped member is in open position, that is with its shorter leg disengaged from the body of-the lock.

A further object of the invention is to provide a padlockwherein both legs of the U-shaped member are simultaneously and automatically gripped and heldimmovable when they have been moved a predetermined distance into the body of the lock irrespective of whether the key is in locked or unlocked position when the movement is commenced.

With these and other objects in view, the invention, which consists in certain novel construction and combination of parts, is hereinafter more fully described with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which: f

Figure 1 illustrates a'perspective view of the invention.

Figure 2 shows 'a sectional view of the padlock in locked position, and

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure {1 is a sectional view showing thepadlock in unlocked position, and

Figure 5 shows a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body of a padlock having a longer and a shorter passage 2 and 3, substantially parallel' with one another, extending therein from one side; the passage 2 receives a longer leg 4 of the U-shaped holding member 5 and the passage 3 receives the shorter leg 6 thereof. Substantially centrally between the passages 2 and 3 and parallel with them is a cylindrical cavity 7 having a plunger 8 therein which lattershas an annular groove 9 intermediately of its length.

10 and 11 indicate apertures extending be -V tween the cavity and the passages 2 and 3 respectively. In these apertureslO and 11 are locking members 12 and 13 respectively. The end of the aperture 11 adjacent to the passage. 3 .is reduced as also is the outer end of the locking member 13 so as to prevent the latter'from falling into the passage 3 when the saidpassage is not occupied by the shorter leg 6 of the holding member.

The legs 4 and 6 are provided with opposed recesses 14 and 15 on their inner sides which are engaged by the outer ends of the locking members 12 and 13 when the padlock is in-locked position as shown in Figure 2. 16

indicates an annular groove around the leg towardsits extremity, of lesser depth-than the recess 14, against a portion of which the locking member 12 bears when the padlock is in open position shown in Figure 4; 17

is a flat'extending longitudinally along the leg 4 from the recess 1 1 to the annular groove 16 and substantially thesame depth as the latter.

18 designates a cylinder mounted in the" body of the lock having a revolvable plug 19 therein,- the axis of which latter is substantially at right angles to the axis of the cavity 7. 2O designates a locating pin which passesthrough an opening 21 in the body usually extending from the bottom of the passage 3, through aliole 22 in the cylinder, thereby holding the latter immovable in the body, and terminates in a segmental slot 23 in the plug so that the turning move ment of the latter is limited. 24 and 25 indicate the usual tumbler pins and tumbler extensions in the plug and cylinder respectively, and 26 are the usual springs which tend to force the said pins into the lug.

A keyslot 27 is provided in the plug tor a conventional key 28. The innerend ofthe plug is substantially semi-circular in section and is located under one end of the plunger 8; The opposite end of the latter is preferably tubular, as indicated at 8 to receive which bears against the adjacent end of the cylindrical cavity .7. This spring tends to force the plunger against the end 19 of the plug 19. t

The end P of the-longer leg .4 is also tubular to receive one end of a helical spring 30,. the opposite end of which latter rests against the bottom of the passage 2, audis one end ofaspring 29 the opposite end of is a position adapted to exert upward pressure on the holdmg member and should be or suflicient strength to raise the said member suflicentlyto disengage the shorter leg 6 from the passage 8.

Briefly the operation of the padlock is as follows: lVhen the plug 19 is turned from the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 to that shownin Figures 4 and 5 the semicircular portion 19 thereof raises the plunger 8 against the tension of the spring 29. The locking members 12 and 13 are then free to move inwardly so that their adjacent ends engage the opposite sides of the annular groove 9, and this they do on account of the tension of the spring 30 exerted against the extremity of the longer leg at. This spring causes the holding member to move outwards until the shorter leg 6 is clear of its passage 3 and until the annular groove 16 around the longerleg 1 is engaged by the outer end of the locking member 12. This groove 16 and the flat 17 on the leg 4 are so positioned that the locking member 12 cannot move sufficiently outwards forthe spring 29 to move the plunger 8, so that the latter must remain stationary until the holding member is returned to locking position and the recesses 14 and 15 are opposite the looking members 12 and 13.

Therefore if the plunger 19 is returned to the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 and the key 28 removed, or if the plug is left in the position shown in Figures 4 and 5 and the key left in its slot, the replacement of the holding member will cause the locking mechanism to function. For in the latter case the spring 29 is strong enough to force the plunger 8 downwards against the plug end 19 in such a manner as to turn the latter. In order to facilitate such movement it will be noted that the plug movement is so limited that the semi-circular portion l9" cannot assume a quite vertical position, that quite parallel with the axis of the plunger. V

lvhile in the foregoing the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and shown it is understood that the construcmove said plunger so that its annular groove is opposite said apertures, and locking members movable in said apertures the outer ends stantially parallel passages therein and a cavity between said passages substantially parallel with them, said body having apertures therein connecting said cavity with said passages, a plunger in said cavity having an intermediate annular groove around it, a i

plug rotatable in said body having its axis substantially at right angles to the axis of said plunger, said plug being adapted to move said plunger so that its annular groove is opposite said apertures, and locking members movable in said apertures the outer ends of which are adapted to project into said passages and the inner ends of which are adapted to engage said annular groove, in combination with aholding member having legs slidable in said passages, opposed recesses formed in the inner sides of said legs adapted to be engaged by said locking members when said padlock is locked, and means adapted both to move said plunger so that its annular groove is not aligned with said locking members and to turn said plug when said leg recesses are aligned with said locking members. 7

3. In a padlock, a body having two substantially parallel passages therein and a cavity between said passages substantially parallel with them, said body having apertures therein connecting said cavity with said passages, a plunger in said cavity having an annular groove around it intermediately of its length, said plunger being movable so that its annular groove may either be opposite said apertures or not, looking members in said apertures the inner ends of which are adapted to engage said annular groove, and a plug rotatable in said body having its axis substantially at right angles to said plunger adapted to move the latter so that its annular groove is opposite said apertures, in combination with a holding member having legs slid able in said passages, one of said legs being longer than the other, opposed recesses formed in the inner sides of said legs adapted to receive the outer ends of said locking members to hold said holding member immovable, and means adapted to move said holding member outwardly until the shorter leg is clear of said body when said plunger is so moved that its annular groove is opposite said locking members.

parallel with them, said body having apertures therein connecting said cavity with said passages, a plunger in said cavity having an annular groove around it intermediately of its length, a means for moving said plunger so that its groove is opposite said apertures, means for moving said plunger '50 that its groove is not opposite said apertures, locking members in said apertures the inner ends of which are adapted to engage said annular groove, in combination with a holding member having a longer and a shorter leg each slidable in one of said passages, o posed recesses formed in the inner sides 0 said legs adapted to be engaged by said locking members when the annular plunger groove is not opposite said apertures, means for moving said holding members outwards until the shorter leg is clear of its passage, means on said longer leg for holding its adjacent locking member against movement as said holding member moves or when it is outstretched,-and means for preventing disengagement of said longer leg, said holdin member being rotatable about the axis 0 said longer leg when the shorter leg is disengaged from its passage.

7. In a padlock, a body having two substantially parallel passages therein and a cavity between said passages substantially parallel with them, said body having apertures therein connecting said cavity with said passages, a plunger in said cavity having an annular groove around it intermediately of its length, a plug rotatable in said body, a portion of said plug being adapted to engage said plunger and move it so that its annular groove is opposite said apertures, the opposite end of said plunger being tubular, a spring seated partly in said tubu-' lar end tending to move said plunger so that its annular groove is out of alignment with said apertures, locklng members movable in said apertures the inner ends of which are adapted to engage said annular groove and the outer ends of which are adapted to extend into said passages, in combination with a holding member having a longer and a shorter leg one of which is slidable in each of said passages, opposed recesses formed in their inner sides adapted to receive the outer ends of said locking members, a spring bearing against the extremity of said longer leg adapted to move said holding member outwardly when said locking members move inwardly fromsaid recesses, and means for holding said plunger so that its annular groove remains opposite said apertures during the movement of said holding member.

8. In a padlock, a body having two substantially parallel passages therein and a cavity therein parallel with said passages,

said body also having apertures therein each connecting said cavity with one of said passages, a plunger movable longitudinally in said cavity having an intermediate annular groove around it, means for moving said plunger, and locking members in said apertures adapted to be moved by the movement of said plunger as they engage and disengage said annular groove, in combination with a substantially U-shaped holding member the ends of which are slidable in said passages, and said member ends having r'ecesses therein adapted to receive said locking members and tobe held against movement in their passages thereby.

9. In a padlock, a body having two substantially parallel passages therein and a cavity between said passages, said body also having apertures therein each connecting said cavity with one of said passages, a plunger in said cavity having an intermediate annular groove around it, means for moving said plunger longitudinally so that its annular groove is brought opposite said apertures, other means for moving said plunger so that its annular groove is no longer opposite said apertures, and locking members in said apertures, in combination with a holding member having legs slidable in said passages, and opposed recesses formed in said legs adapted to be engaged by said locking members.

WILLY W. WERNER. 

